Chocolate Truffle Cakes With Fresh Pansies Recipes

Steps:

• Cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter four 6-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment, and butter parchment; and dust with cocoa, tapping out excess.
• Stir cocoa and water in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms; let cool. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Add eggs in a slow stream, mixing until incorporated and batter is no longer slick.
• Gradually whisk milk into cocoa paste. With mixer on low speed, gradually add both flour and cocoa mixtures to the butter mixture, and mix until combined.
• Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks to cool completely.
• Whipped Ganache Frosting: Meanwhile, put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over chocolate; add salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and shiny, scraping bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. Let cool to room temperature, stirring often, until thickened, 45 to 60 minutes. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat until paler in color and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. (You should have about 4 cups.)
• Chocolate Ganache Glaze: Put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to combine. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until smooth and shiny, scraping bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. (You should have about 3 cups.)
• With a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to level. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 cup whipped ganache frosting on each of 2 cake layers; top with remaining layers. Spread remaining frosting over cakes.
• Place 1 cake on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a ladle, pour half of ganache glaze over top and sides of cakes, smoothing sides with a large offset spatula. Repeat with second cake. Let stand until glaze has set, about 20 minutes. Just before serving, arrange pansies on top of cakes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
• Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.)
• Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups three-quarters full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks; reinvert, and let cool.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook milk, butter and chocolate over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; let stand for 10 minutes., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla; stir in chocolate mixture until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture and mix well (batter will be thin). , Transfer to three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Stir in confectioners' sugar and heavy whipping cream until smooth., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache reaches a spreading consistency., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with half of the filling. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread ganache over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• For the truffles: Combine the chocolate, cream and butter in a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water and let melt. When almost melted, remove from heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in your flavoring of choice and refrigerate until thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip. Pipe 8 (1-inch) mounds onto the prepared tray. Place 1 raspberry in the center of each chocolate mound and pipe a little more of the chocolate mixture to enclose completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• For the cake: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with vegetable spray, 8 oversize muffin cups (4-inches wide and 2-inches deep) or 1 1/4-cup custard cups. Line bottoms with rounds of waxed paper.
• In the top of a double boiler or a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter, cool slightly.
• Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle or beaters, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar on high speed until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Scrape in the chocolate mixture and, on low speed, beat until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Spoon a little of the batter into each of the prepared cups, top with 1 truffle, and cover with the remaining batter. Arrange the cups on a baking tray and bake until the edges of the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the cups, 12 to 13 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto individual dessert plates and carefully peel off the paper. Serve warm. Spoon softly whipped cream or ice cream next to each cake and, if desired, garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the Truffles: Combine the chocolate, cream, and butter in a small heatproof bowl, set over simmering water, and let melt. When almost melted, remove from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in flavoring of your choice and refrigerate until thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Scrape the chocolate mixture into pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip. Pipe eight 1-inch mounds onto the prepared tray. Place 1 raspberry in center of each chocolate mound and pipe a little more of the chocolate mixture to enclose completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• For the Cake: Position a rack in the center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter, or coat with vegetable spray, 8 oversize muffin cups (4 inches wide and 2 inches deep) or 1 1/4 cup custard cups. Line bottoms with rounds of waxed paper. (To cut out the rounds, place 1 of the cups on waxed paper and trace rounds the bottom with a pencil. Then cut the 8 circles.) Set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler or a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter. Cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in the large bowl of an electric mixer. with a paddle or beaters, on high speed, beat eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Scrape in the chocolate mixture and, on low speed, beat just until combined. Remove the bowl and fold in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Spoon a little of the batter into each of the prepared cups top with 1 truffle, and cover with the remaining batter. Arrange cups on a baking tray and bake until edges of the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the cups, 12 to 13 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto individual dessert plates and carefully peel off paper.
• Serve warm Spoon softly whipped cream or ice cream next to each cake and, if desired, garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 10-inch springform pan.
• Chop chocolate and cut butter into pieces. In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter with sugar, stirring until smooth (sugar will not be dissolved). Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and cool mixture to room temperature. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
• Separate eggs, putting yolks in a small bowl and whites in a large bowl. Add yolks 1 at a time to chocolate mixture, whisking well after each addition. With an electric mixer beat whites until they just hold soft peaks. Sift flour over chocolate mixture and with a whisk fold flour and half of whites into mixture gently but thoroughly. With a rubber spatula fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack. Cake may be made up to this point 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Make ganache:
• Chop chocolate and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. While chocolate is melting, in a small saucepan bring cream just to a simmer and add espresso. Add cream mixture to chocolate with butter and liqueur and stir until smooth.
• Assemble cake:
• Remove side of pan and cut cake into 8 wedges. Invert wedges (so that top sides will be flat) onto a large rack set over a large shallow baking pan, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Pour enough warm ganache evenly over wedges to coat them and let stand 5 minutes.
• Scrape excess ganache from baking pan into bowl of ganache and pour ganache over wedges again, making sure they are coated completely. (Remaining ganache may be chilled, covered, and reheated for using as a chocolate sauce.) Let wedges stand at room temperature until ganache is set, at least 1 hour, and up to 6.
• Just before serving, pick over raspberries and cover top of each wedge with raspberries.